DTN News: U.S. Senate Votes Against Funding For New F-22s

DTN News: U.S. Senate Votes Against Funding For New F-22s

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - July 22, 2009: President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have won a standoff over funding the creation of new F-22 fighters. The Senate voted 58-40 Tuesday to take out $1.75 billion from the 2010 defense appropriations bill that would have gone toward building seven new F-22s.

Mr. Obama immediately hailed the decision, saying it will "better protect our troops." "I reject the notion that we have to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on outdated and unnecessary defense projects to keep this nation secure," he said. "…And that's why I'm grateful that the Senate just voted against an additional $1.75 billion to buy F-22 fighter jets that military experts and members of both parties say we do not need."

"At a time when we're fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, this would have been an inexcusable waste of money," the president added.

"Every dollar of waste in our defense budget is a dollar we can't spend to support our troops or prepare for future threats or protect the American people." The president and defense secretary have strongly opposed the creation of new F-22s, $140 million fighter jets which have not performed a single mission in the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The military already has 187 F-22s at its disposal. Before the vote, the president said he would veto the $680 billion defense bill if the final version included the F-22 funding, stating flatly, "we do not need these planes."

Gates has pushed for the military to spend money on tools better suited to fight the unconventional wars in which the U.S. is now engaged. He calls the F-22 "a niche, silver-bullet solution required for a limited number of scenarios."

But members of Congress, led by Republicans Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, have been pushing to keep the $1.75 billion for the planes in the bill. They have argued that more F-22s are needed and that many jobs depend on them being built.

Lockheed Martin, the maker of the F-22, has warned that 95,000 jobs in a variety of states are directly or indirectly tied to the manufacture of the plane. Sens.John McCain, a Republican, and Carl Levin, a Democrat, have fought to remove funding for new F-22s, characterizing a potential outlay as wasteful.

But Chris Dodd, a Democrat who backed the funding, suggested last week that Congress should be able to spend $1.75 billion to help the aerospace industry when the government is spending far more to bolster automakers.